The direct lithium extraction (DLE) pilot plant at the Prairie project in Saskatchewan, Canada has processed more than 200 000 ℓ of brine, and has produced “exceptional” results during operations over the past three months, ASX-listed Arizona Lithium reports.
The pilot plant is now in the final phase of operations.
Operations have produced over 13 500 ℓ of high purity lithium concentrate that have been shipped to the company’s Lithium Research Centre (LRC) in Tempe, Arizona.
The lithium concentrate will be further processed using counter flow reverse osmosis (CFRO).
The CFRO pilot is expected to be operational at the LRC in the second quarter.
Following CFRO processing, the final concentrated product will be converted into high-purity, commercial-grade lithium products, where it can be qualified for strategic offtakes.
“Having recently again visited the pilot plant at our Prairie project in Saskatchewan, I am very impressed with the operational consistency and exceptional results delivered over the past three months.
“Seeing the pilot plant process brine from our well and produce a high-quality lithium concentrate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, has the whole team very excited for commercialisation,” says MD Paul Lloyd.